Wallace Leads Syracuse Past Rutgers

Top 25/College notebook

John Wallace scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in No. 16 Syracuse’s uninspired 63-54 men’s basketball victory over Rutgers Monday night at Piscataway, N.J.

The Orangemen (19-6, 9-5 Big East) certainly didn’t look like the team that beat then-No. 8 Georgetown by 21 points two days earlier. The game was one of those where neither shot well, both turned over the ball with little pressure and the better team prevailed because of a run everyone knew was coming.

Rutgers (6-15, 3-10) was somehow within 39-36 with 9:53 to play, but as it has so many times in its first season in the Big East, it allowed the big run to come.

Syracuse scored the game’s next 11 points to take a 50-36 lead with 5:03 left. The Scarlet Knights missed six shots from the field and the front end of a 1-and-1 in the span and the closest they got the rest of the way was 55-48 with 1:41 left.

Wyoming 80, (7) Utah 76

At Laramie, Wyo., HL Coleman scored 18 points, including a game-winning bucket with 50 seconds left, as the Cowboys (12-11, 6-7 Western Athletic Conference) upset the Utes (19-4, 11-2).

Solid free-throw shooting - usually Utah’s forte - also helped Wyoming pull out the win. The Cowboys hit 10 of 12 free throws in the final 7 minutes, including two by Jeron Roberts to cement the win with 31 seconds left.

Villanova 90, LaSalle 50

Kerry Kittles scored 25 points and the Wildcats (21-3) handed the Explorers (5-18) their worst-ever loss.

Jason Lawson and Eric Eberz each had 11 points for the Wildcats, winners of eight straight. Romaine Haywood had 14 for La Salle, which has lost eight of nine.

The biggest previous loss by the Explorers was a 113-77 defeat against Notre Dame in 1977.

UMass still on top

Things are getting pretty ho-hum about the college basketball poll.

Massachusetts was back on top Monday for the eighth straight week, and Kentucky stayed the runner-up for that same period.

There was some mixing among Nos. 3-6 as Connecticut moved up one spot to third, while Villanova jumped two places to fourth. Kansas, which had been third, was fifth after losing to Missouri and Cincinnati dropped two places to sixth after its buzzer-beater loss to Arizona.

The only new team in the rankings was Mississippi State, back at No. 25 after a three-week absence.

Lollis dominates Big Sky

Montana State center Quadre Lollis, who had 56 points and 27 rebounds last week, was named the Big Sky Conference player of the week.

Lollis, a 6-7 senior, averaged a double-double, 28 points and 13.5 rebounds per game for the week.

Pac-10 honors Simon

Arizona guard Miles Simon is the Pacific-10 Conference player of the week.

Simon, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, hit a 3-pointer from 65 feet at the buzzer as Arizona upset then-No. 5 Cincinnati 79-76 on Sunday.

Simon finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The Fullerton, Calif., native also had 16 points and six assists in Arizona’s 71-69 victory over Arizona State last week.

Baylor drops lawsuit

Baylor dropped its breach of contract lawsuit against former men’s coach Darrel Johnson, whom the school was blaming for a scandal that occurred during his tenure.

The school filed the lawsuit in November in defense of a clause in Johnson’s contract that ensured that while he was coach, the program would comply with NCAA, Southwest Conference and university rules.

The school, however, said in a news release it “believes the purpose of its suit has been fulfilled and feels that no additional purpose would be served by continuing to pursue its claims.”

Dayton center eulogized

At Columbus, Ohio, Dayton center Chris Daniels was fondly remembered Monday as a young man with a mischievous streak and a big smile for everyone he met.

More than 500 mourners filled Community of St. John Holy Rosary Church for the 22-year-old’s funeral.

Daniels died Thursday in Dayton after collapsing in his off-campus home. A cause of death has not been determined.